A $5,000 grant from Prairie Meadows enabled Iowa Legal Aid to purchase a new digital color high volume photocopier for its Central Administrative Office in Des Moines. The new copier incorporates faxing, along with scanning and printing, and has the ability to print from mobile devices. Iowa Legal Aid’s previous copier was purchased in 2008 and had over 881,000 copies. This new equipment will help Iowa Legal Aid staff provide more efficient and effective service to clients and help in the preparation of community legal education, outreach and fundraising materials. Staff had the following to say about the new copier:
“I am very happy to no longer have paper jams several times a day. I can also use colored paper of various weights for special projects.”
“It is so nice to have a fax and copier machine in one. As a result, we have more counter space to use now, and its especially helpful when preparing mailings.”
“I am so pleased to have the opportunity print reports in color.”
Iowa Legal Aid’s Legal Hotline for Older Iowans also received a $10,000 grant from Prairie Meadows to conduct two, three-hour, elder law seminars. The first seminar was held on March 23, 2017 and the second seminar was held on April 27, 2017. The first seminar provided information about Medicaid eligibility for nursing home and in-home services; Medicaid managed care issues, including appeal and grievance rights; and protecting yourself from abuse and financial exploitation. The second seminar taught people about the rights of nursing home residents, end-of-life planning issues and protecting yourself from consumer scams and deceptive practices. The seminars included speakers from the Iowa Department on Aging, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and Iowa Legal Aid. A few of the specific comments about the seminars were:
“Great information. Knowledge is power. Thanks for holding these seminars.”
“Excellent presentations.”
“This was incredibly helpful. Thanks so much for providing this.”
“I learned a lot. This seminar was very informational. Enjoyed it, wonderful training.”